A big welcome to Kirsten Hesketh, as she shares an uplifting extract from her exciting debut novel, Another Us.
Hello Kirsten, how are you keeping in this strange new world? Do you have a top tip to promote wellbeing?
Hello Carol. We’re all OK thank you and I hope you are too. I’ve found myself in the slightly strange position of having a fuller house than normal as daughter’s A levels have been cancelled and my son is home from university. Also having my debut come out next week in this very strange new world takes some getting used to. Part of me wants to celebrate this lifelong dream coming true and part of me feels that that is so totally inappropriate with everything else that is going on – so I flip between the two.
I don’t have any real tips to promote wellbeing save to say that as emotions and moods can change so quickly, it’s best to take it one day at a time. I have also found my daily walks in the beautiful Chilterns to be a life-saver.
Can you tell us a little about the story?
My latest novel is also my debut novel and it is being published by Canelo on May 14th. Another Us is the – hopefully – ‘funny, compassionate and poignant’ story of a marriage under pressure. Emma and Daniel’s son, Jack, has just been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and Emma is horrified to discover that 80% of such marriages are doomed to fail. Can she save her own marriage against the odds?
It sounds a great read, could you share an uplifting extract?
Sure. This is the beginning of the book – which I hope fits the bill:
‘Mum?’ Jack stopped stirring his Coco Pops and stared at the plumber. Chocolate milk dripped from his spoon and Jack blotted it with the forearm of his sweatshirt. ‘Mum, why is that man so ugly?’
The moment hung, poised, like the one droplet of brown milk about to plop off the edge of the table.
Of course, it had to happen now; on a Monday morning when I hadn’t engaged my brain and there was breakfast to finish, teeth and hands to clean and bags to gather before school. And it would be thisparticular Monday morning, September 14th. The date that had been eyeballing me from the calendar for weeks. At least Freddie, our teenager, had already taken himself off to school. He would have cackled with loud, delighted laughter and made the whole thing twice as bad.
If that was possible.
What were the options?
Think, Emma.
Think!
Plan One: ignore the question and move on. But eight-year-old Lily was rigid with appalled fascination and the plumber was staring at me in mute humiliation, so this was unlikely to do the trick.
Plan Two: the whispered apology. ‘So sorry. Jack tends to blurt stuff out. Tells you how it is.’ No. No.Definitely not an option. Jack was right; the plumber was – how could I put this nicely? – aesthetically challenged. Bald pate. Receding chin. Protruding teeth. How on earth could I say anything without making it twice as bad?
Plan Three: ‘Jack, sweetie,’ I said. ‘You must stop calling everyone ugly. It’s getting very boring.’
That was quite clever.
But Jack just screwed up his face. ‘Don’t lie, Mum,’ he said. ‘I’ve never said it before.’
The plumber gave us all a ‘look’ and went upstairs without a backward glance.
There was no Plan Four.
With a teenager with Aspergers I think it sounds a great read. We’ve had this situation when my daughter told a close family member they were fat 🙂 I’ve preordered my copy and can’t wait to read it. Find out more and preorder Another Us here.
What can we expect from you next?
Something quite different. I’m thrilled to have signed a two book deal with Hodder for a story set in London during the First World War. The first will be published in 2021.
Oh Wow! Congratulations, how exciting.
Thanks so much, Kirsten, for stopping by and best of luck with Another Us and your WWI story.
About the author:
Kirsten Hesketh has a background in advertising and now runs her own consultancy specialising in psychological interviewing and focus groups. Over the past 25 years, she has interviewed the Great British public on everything from Rolos to razors.
Married with a teenage son, daughter and two exceptionally fluffy moggies, Kirsten is also a keen amateur archaeologist and loves to spend her weekends hacking through the mud on a local Roman dig. She is also a staunch supporter of Wycombe Wanderers – especially when they are winning!
Another Us is her debut novel.
Discover more about Kirsten and her work, here: Facebook | Twitter | website | Sister Scribes.
Don’t miss author Lucy Keeling, sharing an extract from her latest novel, on Friday 15th May! xx
